Air circulator



May 15, 1934.

F. N. ROSS AIR CIRCULATOR Filed D60 27 1932 l NVEN TOR.

Patented May 15, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 11 Claims.

This invention has to do with the circulation and conditioning of air,and it relates primarily to an apparatus or device which may be termedan air circulator and which is especially adapted for use in rooms ofresidences, ofiioes, and the like.

More particularly the invention is directed to the provision of a devicewhich may be placed in a room and which may have one or more elements,such as a fan, a heater, or the like, electrically operated, and whichmay be so operated by merely establishing an electrical connection.

Among the objects of the invention is the provision of a device capableof efiecting an air circulation in such a manner that the air iscirculated to and from the upper and lower portions of the room. Sincewarm air moves upwardly the device is preferably arranged to remove airfrom the upper portions of the room and deliver same to the lowerportions thereof. The device may be used with or without a heater forheating the air, and it may also include an arrangement for humidifyingthe air.

Also among the objects of the invention is the provision of a device ofthe nature mentioned which is sufficiently portable to permit of itsbeing placed wherever desired in the room, and a device which not onlyrequires a small amount of room but one which will not be objectionablefrom an esthetic standpoint.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. l is a view illustrating a portion of a device constructed inaccordance with the invention in side elevation, and having some partscut away and some parts shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view looking substantially on line 22 of Fig. 1,showing the fan and mountmg.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through a housing member illustrating theheating element.

Fig. 4 is a section taken substantially on line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing a structural detail.

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view of a portion of the base structure.

Fig. 7 is a detail of an upper end of a structural member.

The device comprises primarily a tubular body 1 which may be made of asheet of metal and which advantageously may be of a slightly taperedshape, connecting at its upper end to an inverted bell or funnel 2, alsoadvantageously of sheet metal. Another bell or funnel 3 connects to thelower end of the body member 1. The

bell members 2 and 3 may have rolled or beaded edges 4 and some of thebeads 4, as illustrated in Fig. 6, lap over the upper and lower ends ofthe body member 1 at the joint.

These sheet metal members may be of relatively light construction andthey may be supported by a suitable supporting frame-like structure.This structure may comprise four lengths of metal which may be in thenature of strap iron, as shown at 10. The lower ends of the members 10may be fashioned into rolls or loops 11, and these members extendupwardly inside the bell 3, inside the body member 1, and inside theinverted bell 2, their upper ends being shown at 12. The sheet metalshell members may be attached to the supporting members 10 in anydesirable fashion and wherever desired; as for example, rivets 13 maypass through the structural members 10 and bells 2 and 3.

A base member is shown at 14 and may have a central hub-like part 15 forreceiving a receptacle 2 16, which may be filled with water and whichmay contain a sponge or other absorbent material 17. I'he receptacle 16may be removable, for which purpose the hub may have grooves 18 and thecup may have lugs 19. When the lugs are lined up with the grooves thecup may be removed from the bottom of the base and when turned intodisalignment the lugs support the cup, as shown in Fig. 1. This is justone way in which the cup may be mounted. The base member may havesupporting feet 20, which may be pads of rubber or other composition andscrews 21 may be passed therethrough which may also enter the loops 11to hold the members 10.

A fan 25 may be positioned in the bell 2 and it may be operated by anelectric motor 26. The upper ends of the structural members 10preferably support the motor, and for this purpose the upper ends mayeach be provided with a slot or notch 27. Four similar supportingmembers 30 may be clamped around the motor, as shown in Fig. 2, and eachmay have an arm 31, upon the end of which is mounted a grommet ofrubber, or the like, as illustrated at 32, and these grommets may befitted in the slots 27. Thus the motor is securely supported, yetresiliently mounted and carried in part by each structural member 10. Itis thought to be preferable that the fan be covered by a screen 33positioned adjacent the upper end of the inverted bell 2.

An electric heating element having resistance wires at 35 may besupported by insulating supporting members 36 carried by one or more ofthe structural members 10, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

Electrical conductors advantageously in the form of duplex wire or cable40 may pass into the bell 3 and connect to the heating elements andmotor through a suitable switch 41. This switch has an operating lever42 and the switch advantageously may be one capable of establishing anelectrical connection for the motor only, and for the motor and heatertogether. The arm 42 may have three positions, two of which are shown indotted lines in Fig. 1. In one of the three positions the motor andheating element are cut off from the electrical conductors; in anotherposition the motor only is connected; and in the third position both themotor and heating element are connected.

This device may be disposed most anywhere in a room and when the motoris set into operation the fan sets up a current of air downwardlythrough the device, as illustrated by the arrows of Fig. 1. Thus air isdrawn from the upper regions of the room into the inverted bell 2 andforced outwardly at the bottom underneath the lower edge of the bell 3.It will be noted that the lower edge of the bell 3 terminates above thebase member 14, thus leaving substantially a circumferential outlet sothat the air may pass out in all directions. If it is desired tohumidify the air, the receptacle 16 may be filled with water, and inthis connection any deodorizing agent may be employed in the receptacle16. Thus the air in the upper regions of the room, which is relativelywarm, is discharged in all directions in close proximity to the floor ofthe room, whence it again may rise to the upper regions. In this fashionsubstantially the entire air volume in a room may be kept in constantmovement, so that the temperature difierential between the upper andlower portions of the room is maintained at a minimum. This factor isadvantageous in the winter time when the room is being heated, as thelower portions near the floor may be kept at a temperature more nearlythat of the upper regions. The heater may not be used during winter timeoperation when heat is otherwise provided. During summer time operationthe air in the room may be constantly circulated, thus maintaining asubstantially uniform temperature, and under cool weather conditions theheater may be employed to heat the air as it passes through the device,whereby warm air is caused to pass out of the device into regionsadjacent the floor. Thus the heated air is immediately brought to thedesired location, namely, the lower portion of the room, whence it mayrise to the upper portions and be again drawn through the device to theend that the air does not become stratifiedthe cool air at the bottomand the warm air at the top.

In some of the claims appended hereto use is made of the word bell indescribing the members 2 and 3. This word is not to be construednarrowly since the members 2 and 3 are capable of quite a largevariation in shape and still fall within the invention. This word is tobe construed to describe a structure which is in the nature of anenlargement or flare. Also in some of the claims it is specified thatthe upper end is at the upper regions of the room. The device may beconstructed with an over all height in the neighborhood of six feet,although even this height may be varied, and such a height is intendedto be such as to cause the upper end to be in the upper regions of theroom when the device is resting upon the floor.

The member 33 may be an air filtering element, in which event it servesto filter the air, as well as protecting the fan. This air filteringelement may advantageously be of that type which comprises explodedglass or which comprises other material forming a mass with amultiplicity of interstices therein through which the air may be drawn.

I claim:

1. An air circulator, comprising a hollow body member having a bellshaped lower end and an inverted upwardly opening bell shaped upper end,supporting means for the body member holding the lowermost edge of thelower bell spaced from adjacent parts whereby to provide a substantiallycircumferential air passageway, said device being adapted to rest uponthe floor of a room or the like with the inverted bell near the upperregions of the room adapted to receive air by substan tially verticalmovement of air into the same, and a fan positioned in one of the bellsfor moving a current of air downwardly through the hollow body memberwith the air entering the inverted bell and discharging through the saidcircumferential air passageway.

2. An air circulator, comprising a hollow body member having a bellshaped lower end and an inverted upwardly opening bell shaped upper end,supporting means, said device being adapted to rest upon the floor of aroom or the like with the lowermost edge of the lower bell spaced fromthe floor whereby to provide a substantially circumferential airpassageway and with inverted bell near the upper regions of the room,and a horizontally positioned fan in said upper bell for moving acurrent of air downwardly through the hollow body member with the airentering the inverted bell with substantially vertical movement anddischarging through the said circumferential air passageway.

3. An air circulator, comprising a tubular central member, a separatebell member for the lower end thereof, another separate inverted bellmember for the upper end thereof, an air propelling fan for moving airthrough said members, a supporting base, and structural strips securedto the base extending through the lower bell, the

central member, and into the upper inverted bell and means for holdingsaid members assembled on said strips.

4. An air circulator, comprising a tubular central member, a separatebell member for the lower 7 end thereof, another separate inverted bellmember for the upper end thereof, a supporting base, and structuralstrips secured to the base extending through the lower bell, the centralmember and into the upper inverted bell, said strips projecting belowthe lower bell and supporting the lower edge of the lower bell spacedfrom the base member to provide an air outlet passageway, an electricmotor positioned in the upper bell, supporting means secured to themotor and connected to the upper ends of the structural strips andcarried thereby, and an air fan operated by the motor for directing adownward current of air through the bells and central member.

5. An air circulator, comprising a hollow body 6. A portable aircirculator comprising, a relatively long sheet metal tubular bodymember, supporting means adapted to rest upon the floor of a room forsupporting the body member in a substantially vertical position, thelower end of the tubular body member being open and spaced from the saidfloor for the discharge of air, an inverted bell shaped member on theupper end of the body member associated with the upper end of thetubular body member in sealed relation and with the large end of thebell member opening upwardly, said tubular body member being of suchheight as to locate the upwardly opening bell member in the upperregions of a room, and an air fan within the circulator for moving acurrent of air downwardly from the upper regions of the room into theupwardly opening bell and downwardly through the tubular body memberwith said air discharging from the lower end of the tubular body member.

7. An air circulator comprising, a relatively long tubular body member,supporting means adapted to rest upon the floor for supporting the bodymember in a substantially vertical position, the lower end of thetubular body member being open for the discharge of air, an invertedbell shaped member on the upper end of the body member associated withthe upper end of the body member in sealed relation and with the largeend of the bell member opening upwardly, said tubular body member beingof such height as to locate the upwardly opening bell member in theupper regions of a room, an electric motor positioned on a vertical axisand located in the inverted bell, an air fan on the motor shaft andpositioned within the bell adjacent the upper edge thereof, and a filterelement covering the upper large end of the bell and immediatelyoverlying the fan for protecting the same.

8. An air circulator comprising, a relatively long tubular body member,a bell shaped end piece at one end of the body member, supporting meansfor supporting the body member in a substantially vertical position withthe lower large end of the bell piece spaced therefrom to form an outletfor air, an inverted bell member at the upper end of the body memberlocated with its large end opening upwardly, the body member being ofsuch height as to locate the inverted bell member in the upper regionsof a room, and a fan positioned on a substantially vertical axis andlocated within the large end portion of the inverted bell for drawingair into the bell with a general downward movement of the air and fordirecting a current of air downwardly through the tubular body with saidair discharging around the lower end of the first mentioned bell piece.

9. A portable air circulator comprising, a tubular sheet metal bodymember, oppositely disposed bell shaped members at opposite ends of thetubular body member, one for the inlet of air and one for the outlet ofair, a supporting means adapted to rest upon the floor of a room andsupporting the body member in a substantially vertical position with thelower edge of the lower bell spaced from the floor so that air may passout of the same in proximity to the floor, the tubular body member andthe bells on its opposite ends being of such a combined height as tolocate the bell on the upper end of the body member in the upper regionsof a room when the said supporting means is resting upon the floor ofsaid room, the bell on the upper end of the body member having its largeend opening upwardly, and an air propelling fan in one of the bells formoving a current of air downwardly with the air in the upper regions ofthe room entering the upper bell, passing through the body member anddischarging from the lower bell in proximity to the floor.

10. A portable air circulator comprising, a tubular sheet metal bodymember, oppositely disposed bell shaped members at opposite ends of thetubular body member, one for the inlet of air and one for the outlet ofair, a supporting means adapted to rest upon the floor of a room andsupporting the body member in a substantially vertical position thetubular body member together with the bell members on its opposite endshaving such a combined height as to locate the bell on the upper end ofthe body in the upper regions of the room when the supporting means isresting upon the floor of said room, the bell member on the upper end ofthe body member having its large end opening upwardly and an airimpelling fan positioned in one of the bells for moving a current of airdownwardly through the body member with the air in the upper regions ofthe room entering the upper bell member and with said air dischargingfrom the lower bell member in close proximity to the floor.

11. A portable air circulator comprising, a tubular sheet metal bodymember, oppositely disposed bell shaped members at opposite ends of thetubular body member, one for the inlet of air and. one for the outlet ofair, a supporting means adapted to rest upon the floor of a room andsupporting the body member in a substantially vertical position with thelower edge of the lower bell spaced from the floor so that air may passbetween the lower edge of the bell and the floor, the tubular bodymember and the bells on its opposite ends being of such a combinedheight as to locate the bell on the upper end of the body member in theupper regions of a room when the said supporting means is resting uponthe floor of said room, the bell on the upper end of the body memberhaving its large end opening upwardly, and an air propelling fan in oneof the bells for moving a current of air through the body member andbells whereby to effect a substantially vertical circulation of the airbetween the upper regions and the lower regions of the room.

FREDERICK N. ROSS.

